KR101546469B1 - RFID tag for rail vehicle and method of using RFID system having the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The RFID tag for a railway vehicle of the present invention communicates in a dual band mode in which a communication frequency band for a control link and a communication frequency band for a data link are different from each other, A main body including a circuit and an antenna are provided in a layered structure with a main body layer and an antenna layer, and an antenna layer is installed outside.
Also, the RFID system operating method includes an RFID reader that communicates with the RFID tag for railway vehicles in a dual-band mode with the RFID tag, and a server computer that can receive and store information from the RFID reader again (Semiautomatic) operation unit and an active operation unit, and the semi-passive operation unit is activated by the propagation of the 900 MHz peripheral band frequency from the RFID reader received via the antenna, The RFID reader activates an active part capable of transmitting information at a frequency of 2.45 GHz and the RFID reader inputs the information obtained through the data link with the active part to the database of the server computer, And is provided for operation management and maintenance management.

Description

Technical Field [0001] The present invention relates to an RFID tag for railway vehicles, and more particularly,

[0001] The present invention relates to an RFID tag for a railway vehicle and a method of operating an RFID system including the RFID tag. More particularly, the present invention relates to an RFID tag, And a method of operating an RFID system including the RFID tag. However, in the entirety of the present invention, the railway vehicle will be understood as a concept including the parts for the car body and the railway car.

RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) is a technology for recognizing information at a remote location using radio waves, and requires an RFID tag and an RFID reader. The tag is made up of an antenna and an integrated circuit, which records information in an integrated circuit and transmits information to the reader via an antenna. This information is used to identify the tagged object. That is, RFID is a kind of identification technology.

Unlike barcode systems, RFID does not use light, but instead uses a certain band of radio waves. Depending on the radio band, RFID can read tags even at distances, and even receive information through objects in between.

RFID is a passive type that reads and communicates information of the chip only by the power of the reader according to the power to be used. The battery is built in the tag, so the power is used to read information of the chip, and the power of the reader is used to communicate Semi-passive, semi-passive, and active, which uses the power of the tag to read information from and transmit information to the chip. The active type usually employs a high frequency antenna for medium-distance applications.

In addition, depending on the frequency band used for RFID communication, a low-frequency IDentification (LFID) using a low frequency of 120 to 140 kHz, a High-Frequency IDentification using an HFID using 13.56 MHz (Mhz) Frequency identification (UHFID) using a radio wave of 2.4 GHz to 2.5 GHz and a microwave frequency ID (frequency band of 868 to 956 MHz).

An integrated circuit is used in an RFID tag. An integrated circuit can store a lot of information, and can be used for product life cycle management (PLM), logistics management, facility management, and the like. The use of RFID technology in the management and management of trains is also under review for railway and railway vehicles.

However, there are some problems in installing and using RFID tags in railway vehicles or their parts to perform the management of the history such as inspection, replacement, and disposal for production, use registration, maintenance, and disposal.

For example, VHF, TRS-Astro, and TRS-Tetra-type railway communications are frequently used in high-speed railways in accordance with train passing areas. In the case of urban railways, 2.4- to 2.5-GHz ISM bands are used for railway communications. Since the frequency band used for RFID and the frequency band used for RFID communication can overlap, this frequency band implies the possibility of various kinds of problems due to interference.

And, since such railway communication will be used more in connection with railway smart driving system or automatic driving system, techniques for solving such problems should be developed or necessary measures should be taken.

Also, railway vehicles are mostly made of metal for the body and many accessories, and the metal acts as a shield for electromagnetic waves. Accordingly, in the case where an RFID tag is installed in a railway vehicle or an accessory thereof, it is necessary to solve or alleviate the problem of such shielding in order to establish communication between the antenna and the antenna of the reader.

For example, when RFID technology is introduced in the management of a railway vehicle, it is possible to manage a large number of vehicles through a single or a small number of readers even in a place where many railway vehicles like a base station are used by using a high frequency active RFID tag. It is necessary to use a large number of readers depending on the position where the RFID tag is attached and the antenna position of the reader, and furthermore there may arise a problem that the railway vehicle to be recognized is not recognized and an accident occurs.

Korean Patent No. 10-0689234 Korean Patent No. 10-1242060 Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2010-0039471

An object of the present invention is to solve or alleviate a problem that a RFID tag attached to a vehicle or an accessory is not recognized due to a problem of shielding a railway vehicle itself or an accessory in the management of a railway vehicle and accessories using RFID technology.

In order to improve the recognition accuracy of railway vehicles and accessories in the management of railway vehicles and accessories using RFID technology, many readers are installed, and a reader and a tag (in other words, railway vehicles and accessories with tags) And a method for operating the RFID system having the RFID tag.

To achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided an RFID tag for a railway vehicle, which performs communication in a dual band mode in which a communication frequency band for a control link and a communication frequency band for a data link are different,

A main body including an integrated circuit for storing information from a mounting surface to be attached to a vehicle body or an accessory, and an antenna installed in a layered structure with a body layer and an antenna layer, and the antenna layer is disposed outside (the farthest from the mounting surface) As shown in FIG.

An antenna distributor may be provided in the tag of the present invention. In this case, the antenna distributor may be provided as a separate layer between the body layer and the antenna layer separately from the body layer.

In the tag of the present invention, the power source battery is also divided into a layer separate from the body layer, and can be installed between the body layer and the tag object (railroad vehicle or its accessories).

In the present invention, the antenna may be formed by forming a metal thin film on a substrate and then forming it by photolithography, or by forming a silver paste or other metal paste through printing, and by forming a conductor pattern portion constituting the antenna by pressing or thermocompression. And may be a Planar Inverted F Antenna (PIFA).

In the present invention, the communication frequency band for the data link may be the 2.45 GHz peripheral band, the communication frequency band for the control link may be the 900 MHz peripheral band, and the 900 MHz peripheral band may be the semi-active (semi-passive) Part and the 2.45 GHz peripheral band can be divided into an active part that is actively operated, for example, by activating the data link part through a control link.

In the present invention, the RFID tag may be provided with a sensor for sensing the surrounding environment applied to an object to be attached, storing the environmental information, and transmitting the information through the RFID reader. The sensor may be formed integrally with the body layer of the tag May be formed as separate layers. For example, a printed circuit board (PCB) constituting the main body of the RFID tag is provided with a timer circuit, and a temperature sensor is installed in an attaching portion that is in contact with an object to be mounted separately from the body layer. Tag integrated circuit, and the stored data can be transmitted through a data link to a reader installed in a vehicle base, a reader in a terminating station, or a reader installed in a travel route.

A method for operating an RFID system according to the present invention includes an RFID tag for a railway vehicle of the present invention, an RFID reader that communicates with the RFID tag in a dual band mode, a signal from an RFID tag for a railway vehicle (Semiautomatic) operation unit and an active operation unit, and the semi-passive operation unit receives the RF signal received through the antenna and transmits the RF signal received through the antenna to the server. The RFID reader activates the active operation part by the radio wave from the RFID reader, and the RFID reader inputs the information obtained through the data link with the active operation part to the database of the server computer, and records the database in the management of the body and accessories And is used for maintenance management.

According to the present invention, in the management of railway vehicles and accessories using RFID technology, it is possible to reduce the problem that the RFID tag attached to a vehicle or an accessory can not be reliably recognized due to a problem of shielding the railway vehicle itself or accessories.

In order to improve the recognition accuracy of railway vehicles and accessories in the management of railway vehicles and accessories using RFID technology, many readers are installed, and a reader and a tag (in other words, railway vehicles and accessories with tags) The burden of having to be strictly controlled can be reduced.

1 is a conceptual diagram showing one configuration of an RFID system for explaining a method of operating an RFID system according to the present invention;
2 is a cross-sectional view showing a layer configuration of an RFID tag for a railway vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention,
3 is a cross-sectional view showing a layer structure of another embodiment of an RFID tag for a railway vehicle according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Fig. 1 shows a configuration example of the RFID system of the present invention. Here, the RFID tag 20 is attached to the vehicle 100, and the readers 31, 33, 35, and 37 are provided beside the railroad tracks. The reader is connected to the central server computer 50 via the branch terminal computers 41 and 43 via a communication line.

The RFID tag 20 uses a 900 MHz peripheral band, which is a UHF region, as a communication frequency band for a control link, and a dual band communication RFIE tag using a 2.45 GHz peripheral band that is an ISM band as a communication frequency band for a data link do.

The tag 20 is installed in a small plastic case 29 having a thickness of about 20 mm on a square of 50 mm in length and 50 mm in length and the bottom surface of the case 29 is adhered and fixed to the surface of the object 100 ' In the case 29, a power supply battery layer 25, a body layer 21 in which an integrated circuit including a memory for storing data and an accessory circuit is packaged on a PCB, an access circuit layer 27 constituting an antenna divider, The layers 25 are laminated, and each layer is in a state in which the necessary wire connection is made.

2, this layer structure of the inventive tag 20 is schematically represented. Here, a battery layer 25, a main body layer 21 including an integrated circuit for embedding information, an antenna divider layer 27, It can be seen that the antenna layer 23 is installed in a layered structure and thus the antenna layer 23 is spatially separated from the object 100 'to the outermost position.

Most tags have very high dielectric constants or very poor characteristics when they are close to conductive objects. The proximity to the conductor prevents the tag from acting as a tag due to the electromagnetic wave boundary condition and does not act as a tag because of the parasitic capacitance and other parasitic components between the conductor and the tag, The radiation efficiency and the resonance frequency are also changed. This effect does not transfer maximum power to the integrated circuit chip due to antenna impedance changes.

In the present invention, communication with the reader is started through the 900 MHz frequency band, which is relatively less affected by the shielding, instead of directly performing communication in the 2.45 GHz frequency band, which is highly affected by the surrounding shields. It is possible to transmit the information quickly and accurately over a long distance by activating the active 2.45 gigahertz frequency band communication and also to make the antenna for communication as far as possible from the conductor as the attachment, for example, 10 mm or more, preferably 15 mm or more, The parasitic component mentioned above can prevent the antenna impedance, the radiation efficiency, and the resonance frequency from varying, thereby enhancing the reliability and stability in the information communication of the RFID system.

The antenna layer is formed by forming a paste of metal paste or other metal having good conductivity on a heat-resistant plastic substrate by printing and sufficiently connecting the metal particles in the paste formed by pressing or thermocompression of a conductor pattern portion constituting the antenna, Plane inverted F antenna (PIFA). It is not necessary to form the antenna pattern made by printing or vapor deposition thick because it is used only in the range of the micrometer of the skin depth in consideration of the communication frequency band.

Here, the antenna covers all of the dual frequency bands and transmits and receives radio waves, but it is also possible to install antennas optimized for each band mode depending on the use band and each communication need.

Generally, an antenna divider or a divider distributes a high frequency (RF) signal inputted to one antenna (here, it is limited to an antenna but can also be a coaxial line in a conventional sense) without any change in impedance, and supplies the high-frequency signal to the signal processor and the demodulator of the headend system.

The RFID reader has the same configuration and characteristics as a normal RFID reader, and is fixedly or movably installed on a side of a railroad running or fixed by a railroad car. In the case of a platform, a railroad car enters and exits, Respectively.

Each reader is directly connected to a server computer through a communication line or to a central server computer through a terminal computer of each branch. Therefore, the information of the tag obtained through the RFID reader is stored in the database which is arranged to arrange the acquisition information in a necessary manner in the server computer. This database can be used to compute vehicle maintenance replacement demand and prepare a driving plan based on this data, including information on the status of the vehicle and its components during operation, information on entering and exiting the base, and so on.

Since the communication frequency band used in the present embodiment is a band that can be widely used for general use, a security code or other security means can be used in the communication information to prevent communication crosstalk and malfunction thereof. It can be done in software, but it is desirable to be implemented in hardware for speed and efficiency.

 Hereinafter, in this embodiment, a brief description will be given of RFID communication performed in the process of arriving at a station B, for example, a railway vehicle starting from an A vehicle base.

First, the RFID tag 20 of the present invention is attached to the vehicle 100 for identification. When the vehicle moves along the track and passes through the track reader 31 in the C track, the track reader's 900 MHz frequency band The 900 MHz half-pass operation portion of the tag reacts to the transmission signal for connection of the active portion. The active operation unit extracts the vehicle identification information from the storage unit of the integrated circuit and generates a transmission signal in the 2.45 GHz frequency band through the antenna divider and the antenna. This stepwise activation enables the RFID tag to prevent power consumption from operations such as transmission at all times.

The line reader 31 receives the transmission signal of the tag 20 to acquire the recognition information of the vehicle 100 and sends the time and the vehicle recognition fact to the server computer 50 through the terminal computer 41.

The process of the line reader 31 is also performed when the vehicle 100 passes the platform window reader 33 installed at the inlet of the platform A through the C line. And the fact of recognizing the vehicle to the server computer 50 through the terminal computer 41.

Thereby, the server computer 50 can recognize that the vehicle 100 starts from the base station A, and its contents are recorded in the database of the server computer.

The two readers 35 and 37 spaced apart from each other along the line of the B station in the manner described above transmit and receive the tags 20 of the vehicle 100 and transmit the readings to the readers 35 and 37 Acquires the recognition information of the vehicle 100 and sends the time and the vehicle recognition fact to the server computer 50 of the central control center via the terminal computer 43 in the B station. As a result, it is possible to confirm from which direction the vehicle 100 arrived at the B-station from which direction.

The management system of this embodiment, in addition to the RIFD tag for recognizing the vehicle itself, has a configuration in which, for example, the drive motor 100 "of the train vehicle is connected to the RIFD tag, And an RFID tag 60 attached to the portion of the vehicle body 100. The drive electric motor 100 "receives electric power from a transmission line and rotates and drives the vehicle wheel. If a fault occurs in the system, the surface temperature of the drive motor can be raised to a certain level or more, which can shorten the life of the coil and various parts of the drive motor.

3, the layer structure of the RFID tag 60 attached to the portion of the drive motor 100 "in this embodiment is schematically represented. Here, the layer structure of the RFID tag 60 attached to the portion of the drive motor 100 & A main body layer 61 including an integrated circuit for storing information, an antenna divider layer 67 and an antenna layer 63 are provided in a layered structure, The layer is connected to the necessary conductors. Here again, the antenna layer 63 is spaced apart from the attachment at the outermost position.

A timer circuit is provided along with an integrated circuit for data storage on a printed circuit board (PCB) constituting the main layer 61 of the RFID tag 60 of the drive motor 100 " The temperature sensor of the layer 66 is connected in circuit with the timer circuit and the integrated circuit of the body layer 61 in a circuit manner and transmits the temperature data obtained at a predetermined period during the running period to the integrated circuit of the tag as an electrical signal, The RFID tag of the driving motor is connected to a sensor node of a kind of ubiquitous sensor network through a sensor link, Of the total population.

In this case, the RFID communication is performed by activating the data link portion through the control link. In order to prevent the crosstalk of other RFID tags or general communication in the communication frequency band and to prevent malfunction thereof, a specific secret code for security is used in the communication information do.

First, when a vehicle moves along a track and passes through a line reader on the way to a C-line of a base station and a base station reader of an access portion of a base station, the RFID tag of the drive motor RFID is read at 900 MHz A 900 MHz semi-passive operation part of the tag reacts to the transmission signal for connection in the frequency band to activate the active part. In the active operation section, the timer circuit and the sensor are activated to periodically transmit the temperature of the surface of the drive motor to the body layer as an electric signal, and store the temperature in the storage section of the integrated circuit.

Next, when the terminal is moved to the base station, the active part is activated by the signal of the base station reader in the base station entrance and the data link is made, and the temperature history data stored in the integrated circuit is transmitted to the reader through the 2.45 GHz frequency communication. The temperature sensor is deactivated by the signal.

Of course, the basic record such as the vehicle recognition signal by the vehicle RFID tag or the recognition signal by the RFID tag of the accessory, such as the code number, the accessory name, the specification, the manufacturing time, It can be separately transmitted to the reader and recorded in the corresponding portion of the database of the server computer.

If the integrated circuit of the tag has an erase function, the data storage unit of the integrated circuit may be erased by the erase signal of the maintenance window reader, and the data space may be accumulated again to efficiently utilize the limited data space.

In this RFID tag, power consumption can be considerably consumed due to continuous or periodic operation of the sensor and the integrated circuit during operation. Therefore, the battery of the tag can be charged, or other charging means using the capacitor can be provided. Wireless charging may be performed using the communication band between the reader and the tag.

The data transferred to the reader, the terminal computer to which the reader is connected, and the server computer in the center are stored in the database according to the type of data. The database is checked to confirm the abnormality of the relevant vehicle parts, maintenance needs, .

For example, parts that are subjected to extreme thermal fluctuations or are subject to severe fatigue due to pressure are capable of product life cycle management (PLM) that builds up a maintenance and replacement plan by cumulatively calculating such fatigue, If the problem persists for more than a certain period of time, it will be possible to manage the driving time by adjusting the operating time in consideration of environmental fatigue.

If the temperature sensor or pressure sensor detects a risk factor that detects temperature or pressure over a certain period of time, it stops the normal operation and returns to the next stop station where the maintenance is possible, and controls the central control station so that immediate maintenance can be performed. .

While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. That is, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.

20, 60: Tag 31, 33, 35, 37: Reader
41, 43: terminal computer 50: server computer
21, 61: main body layer 23, 63: antenna layer
25, 65: antenna divider layer 27, 67: battery layer
66: temperature sensor layer 68: insulating layer
100: vehicle 100 ', 100 ": attachment object

Claims (7)

delete A communication is performed in a dual band mode in which a communication frequency band for a control link and a communication frequency band for a data link are different,
A main body including a main body including an integrated circuit for storing information from a mounting surface to be attached to a vehicle body or an accessory, and an antenna layer formed on the main body layer and the antenna layer which are different layers,
A separate antenna splitter layer including an antenna splitter is provided between the body layer and the antenna layer,
And a battery for power supply is provided between the body or the accessory and the body layer. 3. The method of claim 2,
The communication frequency band for the data link is a 2.45 GHz peripheral band,
The communication frequency band for the control link is a 900 MHz peripheral band,
Wherein the antenna layer is spaced apart from the body of the vehicle by 10 mm or more. The method of claim 3,
A semi-passive (semi-active) operation unit and an active operation unit
Wherein the semi-passive operation unit activates the active operation unit capable of transmitting information at the 2.45 GHz peripheral band frequency by operating the radio wave of the 900 MHz peripheral frequency band received through the antenna, RFID) tag. 3. The method of claim 2,
Further comprising a sensor for detecting an ambient environment in the vehicle body or an accessory and storing the data in the form of an electric signal to the integrated circuit. delete An RFID tag for a railway vehicle according to claim 2,
An RFID reader for communicating with the tag in a dual band mode,
And a server computer capable of receiving and storing a signal from the RFID tag for the railway car from the RFID reader, the method comprising:
The RFID tag for a railway vehicle includes a semi-passive (semi-active) operation unit and an active operation unit,
Wherein the semi-passive operation unit is activated by propagation of a communication frequency band frequency for the control link from the RFID reader received through the antenna and transmits the information to the communication frequency band frequency for the data link Lt; / RTI >
The RFID reader inputs information obtained through a data link with the active operation unit into a database of the server computer
And management and maintenance management of the vehicle body and accessories is performed from the data base record,
The RFID tag for a railway vehicle further includes a sensor and a timer circuit for sensing the surrounding environment of the vehicle or an accessory and storing the data in the form of an electric signal to the integrated circuit,
Wherein the sensor accumulates environmental data acquired by the sensor in the integrated circuit during the driving period included in the active operation unit,
Wherein the environment data is transmitted to the reader at a communication frequency band frequency for the data link and is input to the database to be used for operation management and maintenance management of the vehicle body and the accessories.

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